Brokᥱᥒ Pᥱdᥱstᥲᥣs: Thᥱ Cᥲᥣm Bᥱforᥱ Thᥱ Storm
by K1d Flash
Summary: Get ready for the Calm Before The Storm in the second season of Broken Pedestals as X, Zero and Brody team up with the Rebellion in an attempt to stop Lillian and Swoop from destroying the world, but when secrets are revealed, will a hopeful rise against evil become threatened? In 11 chapters, X and Zero will face their most greatest challenge yet...
1. What Comes After

_Ten months after Lillian decimated the town of Hunteria with her army led by her brother, Cameron, the leader of the mysterious Organization, X and Zero were lost. Not physically, although, judging from the sight and state of things, they might as well have been lost physically as well as mentally. _

_They were lost because they were lied to for who knows how long. Their mayor had planned this attack since her arrival into Hunteria all of those years ago, and the worse part of it all? X knew of this attack and never warned anyone because he trusted Lillian not to go through with her sadistic plan. Even when they were under the city, in the tunnels, he had hoped then that she would turn away from her evil, but he was wrong twice over, and he felt the most at fault. _

_That was why he left Hunteria. And he had no plans to ever return. But he had to, right? Wasn't that why he searched for the Rebellion in the first place? And seeing Swoop back in Hunteria with the Eternal Circle after Lillian's departure increased his fears and guilt. _

_What would Zero and Brody, and for that matter, the Rebellion, think of him of he were to reveal that he had always known of Lillian's plans? Would Zero see him differently? Would he be hated? _

_"I never wanted this..."_

_X, Zero, Brody and Jack hid out in an old, abandoned facility the Hunterian troops used for battle after the cold winter set in. It was the only way they would be able to stay warm for the moment. _

_"None of us did, X.. Lillian lied to all of us and we paid for her lies. Hunteria's dead, and we helped kill it."_

_Brody remained silent. He knew his aunt, or at least, he thought he did. When he had nothing, Lillian helped him by recruiting him to the Nuvara Mercenary Division, and he made something of himself. He was working for credits, yes, but working nonetheless. Then everything went wrong, and he was left barren again. And he felt himself lost within his own thoughts. _

_"We were all fooled. But the people were fooled most of all. In order for us to maintain any sense of normalcy here, we need to stop Lillian and her army."_

_One of the members of the Rebellion, Bee, scoffed loudly._

_"And how the hell do we do that, Jack? We already lost Jazz in the attack. You wanna lose Arcee next?"_

_Jack balled his fist and counted. Bee could be a pain at times._

_"Damn it, Bee. I know that! But Hunteria is no longer the only city that's in danger! We need to do something!"_

_Zero stood up._

_"Alright, alright. I agree, Lillian needs to be stopped, but we don't have the capabilities or armory to go after her and that weapon right now. We also have to get the people out of the city in case Lillian swings back around to finish the job." _

_X stayed silent throughout the entire exchange between them, for fear he would speak incorrectly, or worse. _

_"What do you think, X?"_

_X looked up at the mention of his name. _

_"W-what do I think of what?"_

_"What do you think we should do about Lillian and Hunteria? Your opinions are needed just as much as the others here." _

_X took a breath and steadied himself. _

_"Jack's right. We need to stop Lillian. That's the obvious answer here. But... The Hunterians aren't safe. If we go after Lillian and her army, who's to say that they aren't prepared for that and have troops waiting for us to leave so they can kill the rest of our people? We have to plan this out.. and it might take time."_

_"Time we don't have!"_

_Bee spoke up in defiance. _

_"We can't sit around, twiddling our thumbs, hoping for a miracle here! You sought us out to fight, X! And we lost Jazz because of our inexperience!"_

_"Because of me."_

_X replied in truth. _

_"You lost Jazz because of me. I searched for you because I was afraid of what had happened. I left Hunteria because of Lillian... I tried to stop her all those years ago, but I failed..."_

_Zero looked at X. They exchanged a glance as if to apologize to one another for being so distant._

_"I knew of Lillian's goals when she first arrived in Hunteria, but I never said anything because I thought that she wanted to help the people. For so long, I had hoped that she wouldn't do this... go down this path that she's on with Swoop... I helped her build that weapon unknowingly and I helped her destroy Hunteria... it's all my fault..."_

_X sobbed quietly as Zero placed a hand on his friend's shoulder._

_"It's not your fault, X. Don't place the blame on yourself, because we were all blinded by her lies. You didn't know she was building a weapon. You may have had some part in it, but what she chose to do afterwards is her fault and hers alone. Which is why we need to stop her. And we need to stop Swoop as well. The Eternal Circle is far worse than anything Lillian could do... and if she ever recruits them to help her..."_

_Zero couldn't finish the thought. Brody stood up._

_"I know a place where we can lay low for a while and think of a plan to stop my aunt and uncle. It's far away from Hunteria, but the trek is long... and in this weather, we might have to make multiple runs and stops."_

_Zero shook his head._

_"The elderly won't be able to withstand this blizzard. They'll die of hypothermia before we ever reach the waystation."_

_"We can hold them all in the Sanctuary. It's big enough for the Hunterians. Hell, it's big enough for a dinosaur or three. We can wait out the blizzard and make the trek to the armory in Nuvara Town in the morning if possible."_

_"Sounds good to me."_

_Zero, X and Brody worked with the young and elderly as they traversed the treacherous cold on the path to the Rebellion's base of operations. While Jack, Arcee, Bee and Prowl worked with the city officials to shut down Hunteria as a way of deterring Lillian from returning. _

_Once everyone had bundled up for the journey, the city officials shut the gates to the entrance, never to return to their former home, as it was no longer safe. X and Zero stood in front of the gates in somber remembrance. _

_"What comes after this, Zero.. What do we do next?"_

_Zero kept his glance on the gates._

_"We stop Lillian. And we stop Swoop. Whatever it takes, we stop them both. We have to."_

_"And what if we lose?"_

_Zero then turned to look at X._

_"If we lose... than we do that together. You and me. Like old times."_

_X chuckled lightly as they walked away from the gates and into the white blinding scenery towards the Sanctuary. _

_But Zero was right. If they did not stop Lillian, she would continue to destroy civilizations and communities, not to mention cause total annihilation with her weapon. And if the Eternal Circle caught up to her... the results could be more than catastrophic, it could be universally fatal._

_It was now or never. _

_Whatever it took to stop her, X would do it._

_Even if it cost him his life.._

_Swoop and the Circle returned to the Freya Circuit to begin the next phase of their plan. If they hoped to put an end to Lillian's rule and warpath, they would need to recruit more people to the Circle. Swoop was also building an army, one that would strike fear into Lillian. _

_"We need more members within the Circle. If we have any hopes of killing Lillian, I need more than what's in front of me. Show me where I must go."_

_The Circle spoke collectively to Swoop. As if all of the entities combined into one being as they spoke._

_"WE HAVE A FEW THOUSAND FOLLOWERS FAR FROM THE FREYA CIRCUIT. IN A COMMUNITY KNOWN ONLY AS THE FALLS. BUT THEY ARE STRONG IN NUMBERS AND THEY ARE EAGER TO JOIN OUR CAUSE. YOU MUST BE STEADFAST AND RECRUIT THEM. RETURN THEM TO US AND WE SHALL CONTINUE OUR PHASE."_

_Swoop grinned menacingly. Excellent. He knew exactly how to reach The Falls. Recruiting the rest of the members would be easy._

_"I will not fail you. They will join us."_

_He put on his trench coat and headed towards the Falls, with an ultimatum for the future members._

_"They will join us... or they will die.."_

_As Lillian observed the scene through the window of the Executioner, the gears turned in her mind. _

_She didn't want this. But they had to learn. They treated her wrong, and they must pay for it. It didn't start in Hunteria, but it would most certainly end with an iron fist. _

_"We've finally done it. This is only the start of a new beginning, Cameron. The whole world will soon fear all of us."_

_Cameron looked out of the window alongside his sister._

_"All of the pain you have been dealt will be avenged, Lillian. I promise you that. Everyone that has ever wronged or hurt you shall soon feel your wrath and vengeance as the Executioner rains down its fire upon the world. And Swoop will no longer be a nuisance."_

_As Lillian watched the people down below flee from the various beams and lasers shooting out of the vessel's weapon caches, she smiled mischievously._

_"You are correct, brother.. Soon, the world will feel the anger and rage I have held within for years as they will become powerless to stop the hellfire raining down on them.. A fitting end to their hatred... I can hardly wait.."_

_Cameron placed a hand on her shoulder as he returned to his seat, firing a solid beam on a few thousand innocents, as they quickly vaporized on the spot, prompting a grin from Lillian. _

_"Run, run, run all you want..."_

_She watched the people attempt to flee from the wrath of Cameron's attacks, but to no avail._

_"You all brought this on yourselves for treating me like I was nothing..."_

_As thousands upon thousands lay dead, Cameron finally relented to move on to the next group of soon-to-be victims as Lillian returned to her seat, deep in thought._

_"And now... Now is the endgame..."_

_"...Now you will all __**BURN.**__"_

_**To Be Continued...**_


	2. Journey To The Center Of The Earth

_The blizzard raged for what seemed like hours as X, Zero, Brody and Jack trekked back to the Sanctuary to rest. Their journey to reach Nuvara Town was too treacherous to cross the roads, and when morning hit, the snow had made things near impossible for any plans to be made._

_"Damn it. This storm came out of nowhere and we can't even think of trying to make it to Nuvara's armory without getting caught in the pile-up of snow." _

_Brody looked out the window and shook his head._

_"Normally, I would love the snow and all of its beauty, but you're right, Jack. Trying to reach Nuvara right now isn't an option. Do you think Lillian got away from the cold? Maybe it slowed them down?"_

_Zero objected._

_"Doubt it, if anything, it sped up their plans. They have that ship. The snow was probably, at best, a minor inconvenience for all of them. God, I wish we had a tracker or something to locate their whereabouts, but they would probably figure out we were tracking them and attack the Sanctuary.. which we don't need right now."_

_Bee stood up, motioning to Jack as he walked over in a hushed tone._

_"We don't need the Nuvara's weaponry. Just throw an EMP pulse at this ship, hijack the plane and put a bullet through her head."_

_Jack, however, was not convinced._

_"No. Lillian is too strong and too smart for us to just go in with our wits and our prayers. She's already wiped out civilians in the neighboring towns. If we try to mount an assault of that nature, who knows what'll happen."_

_Jack paused for a moment before continuing. _

_"Look, Bee. I know what the Organization did to your family and to your friends. I'm not cold or heartless to your grief. But you joined the Rebellion because you trusted me to lead a team. X trusted me to help him defeat Lillian. Losing Jazz shouldn't have happened, but I won't allow anyone else to die because we're being reckless. We will stop Lillian. Do you trust me?"_

_Bee looked at Jack for a few seconds, processing the words he had spoken. In a way, Jack was right. Bee was angry at him for not taking the proper steps needed to avenge his fallen family and friends. And losing Jazz fueled his anger. But at the same time, was being reckless the right choice? Or was Bee simply trying to die so he could be reunited with his family? _

_"I trust you, Jack. I always have trusted you. But I don't trust X or Zero. They have that mercenary Brody with them, and he was the cause of so much death and destruction, and now we're going to let him walk among us? And I have to be okay with that?"_

_Jack sighed somberly. _

_"I don't like it, either. But right now, we need all the help we can get. So we are going to Nuvara Town to retrieve some weapons and take this fight to Lillian. The right way. And I won't allow you or the others to do anything that's going to put us in danger. Your anger is towards Cameron and Lillian."_

_Bee chuckled bitterly._

_"We'll see about that, won't we? Rest assured, I will have my revenge on the Organization. With or without you. And I will make sure Brody's time in the Rebellion is very, very short-lived."_

_Jack sighed once more as Bee walked off to join the others. He felt for the young one, truly. He lost many friends and family after the Newtown incident. He formed the Rebellion to help those that had suffered the same fate or worse, but finding Bee the way he did? Broken and beaten and lost? That was how Jack himself felt. That was why he wanted to work with X and Zero and even Brody to build a better future by putting a stop to Lillian's plans. _

_But what would it cost to reach that future? Would Bee and Jack's friendship be tested until it is no more? Or will Bee's blinding anger be so great that he might do something reckless just to spite the Rebellion? These were questions he was afraid of answering._

_Jazz's death raced through his mind constantly. Lillian shooting him in the head right in front of him... Jack wanted to beat her senseless right then, but he knew that his actions would have killed more than just Jazz that day. He blamed himself for not doing more to stop that incident from occurring, but it was far too late to change things. _

_He also thought of what Bee had said back in Hunteria involving Arcee. They didn't always see eye to eye, but they cared for each other a lot. She helped him form the Rebellion all those years ago, and he was grateful for her presence. Their romance was not a conventional or common one, but he was still grateful for her, nonetheless. He didn't want to lose her, nor did he want anyone else to die, and he was faced with hard choices. Especially when it came to Bee. He just hoped what he was doing was the right choice. _

_He couldn't afford to lose anyone else.._

_Swoop finally reached The Hills to begin the next stage of his plan with the Circle. He was told of a few former members of the Circle who had just recently renewed their cause in the warriors of old, and Swoop was tasked with bringing them back to their hideout, however, Swoop had a much darker alternative for them should they refuse. _

_Their cause, or rather, his goals, were much too great for it to backfire because of a few simpletons that were afraid. Fear was no longer an option in Swoop's eyes. They would adapt, or they would die. _

_"Who are you?"_

_The young man asked Swoop after he had found them within the city walls._

_"I. Am Renali Uva Regal. Otherwise known as Swoop, leader of the Eternal Circle. I was sent here because you are all about to become part of something greater. I have revived the fallen members of the Circle, and they wish to speak with all of you in the Freya Circuit. _

_The young man spoke once more._

_"How do we know this isn't a trap? How can we trust what you say?"_

_Swoop grinned before revealing the mark of the Circle on the back of his hand, confirming he was truly the leader of the Circle._

_"You have two choices today - you can join me as I lead you back to the Freya Circuit, or you can all die here. Either way, you will be serving the Circle." _

_The young man pondered for a moment, before nodding his head._

_"We believe you. And we believe in the cause. Let us return to our masters and serve you and aid you, Lord Swoop of the Circle." _

_Swoop grinned once more as he raised a hand and pointed it outward, back to the Circuit for the third phase of his plan. _

_"Soon, Lillian... I will have my revenge.. and you will be killed.."_

_"...Just you wait."_

_As Lillian rested at the old church grounds, coffee in hand, her thoughts wandered like it did back in Hunteria and sighed._

_The weight of what she had done and continued to do was becoming heavier and heavier. She looked around before crying quietly. She felt guilt on a tremendous scale, and wanted nothing more but to go home. _

_She ached all over. She never wanted this to happen, and the revelations settled within her mind and broke her from within. _

_"I can't do this... It's too much..." _

_She spoke to an audience that was not there as the tears didn't stop. But it felt good to cry. To actually cry and not worry about anyone seeing her weak. _

_When this was all over, she would be able to go home again. _

_Lillian wiped her tears and sat her coffee down._

_"Cameron, prepare the vessel for the next community. The Nuvarans will cower at our feet when they see us."_

_Lillian yelled towards her brother as he activated the Executioner, awaiting her arrival._

_Her thoughts still plagued her mind as her tears threatened to fall and she allowed them to, if only for a brief moment._

_"After Nuvara, where shall we take this vessel next?"_

_Lillian placed her hands on either side of her as they advanced on the town._

_"We'll land here for a few to recharge the cannon, and then we'll progress until our message is clear. The Rebellion, X and Zero and my nephew, Brody are on their way to Nuvara Town right now. You will hide the Executioner far from here and await my orders. It's time for a little... family reunion. Once I am done here, we will take this weapon to Mioria. The communities must be broken enough to rethink fighting against us in the name of the Rebellion. I will not allow it."_

_Cameron nodded._

_"And we shall crush them under our heel should they try to rise up. They have made too many mistakes for the sake of their own lives, and now they must prepare to face judgement. We shall hide and await your orders, sister. Once Nuvara has witnessed your wrath, we shall not rest until the other communities, and soon, the world obeys you."_

_Lillian stood over the town as Cameron began to fire on the innocents. The armory also became a victim of their arrival as the building went up in flames, destroying the Rebellion's hope of arming up against Lillian back at the Sanctuary. Once Cameron had halted his attack, Lillian exited the ship and headed for the bar that Zero and Brody had occupied all those years ago, where she would wait for them to arrive._

_"If you have trouble with X and Zero, alert me if needed and I shall end their lives with no hesitation."_

_Lillian nodded towards Cameron as he nodded back before he flew the vessel out of sight of any bystander, leaving Lillian to walk among the dead civilians and straight into the bar. _

_"You! You murderer!"_

_Lillian pulled out her father's pistol and shot the bartender in cold blood before pouring herself a glass and sat at a booth, opposite of the entrance. She would allow herself to let X, Zero and Brody to witness what happens to those that join their cause before revealing herself. _

_"You can't stop what's coming, Brody."_

_Lillian whispered to herself as she took a sip of her drink and firing a round into a patron of the bar that lunged at her as he fell dead at her feet._

_"And your friends in the Rebellion are fighting only to lose their lives over something so... trivial and worthless. But it won't matter soon enough..."_

_Another sip of her drink as she heard Brody speak in a horrified tone from outside._

_"Soon, you will all be nothing but specks of dust and bone, left to rot with the dying and the dead. And me?"_

_Lillian chuckled as she finished the rest of her drink before getting up to reveal herself to Brody and Zero._

_"As for me, well..."_

_"...I will be at the top of the pyramid..."_

_"...And no one will be able to stop me then.."_

_"...Not even you, Brody."_

_"...Today... Today you die here."_

_Lillian placed a hand on her father's pistol, preparing herself for the confrontation at hand and smirked._

_"Goodbye, Brody.."_

_**To Be Continued...**_


End file.
